Avoiding Distractions While Homeschooling

One of the biggest perks about being a virtual student is that you can learn from the comfort of your own home. Unlike traditional school, we don’t care if you stay in your pj’s, are in your bed, or are lounging on the couch while looking over your coursework. You can be as comfortable as you want and learn from wherever you want. That’s part of the draw to virtual learning, right? While all of that is true, you have to have some self-discipline when studying at home because distractions are everywhere!

Your mind can wander. The television goes on. The neighbor’s dog barks. A loud car flies down the street. Distractions happen constantly around the house. With technology literally at our fingertips, it’s super easy to start browsing the internet or checking your social media accounts and before you know it, hours have flown by and no work has been done.

In a traditional school environment, you need to be physically and mentally present to succeed. Same goes for virtual learning. When your mind wanders or you get tied up doing chores or surfing the internet, it’s easy to start falling behind in your studies. Thinking that you will “catch up tomorrow” doesn’t always pan out so it’s really important to make the commitment and set some limits for yourself. Virtual learning definitely requires some discipline on the student and the parents to make sure time is carved out for learning.

At My Virtual Academy, your success is our number one goal. We design our courses so that success is knocking at your door. You just have to keep your eye on the prize and do your part. When you attend a virtual academy, you are always online. After all, that is how you complete your schooling. It’s vital that you stay motivated and distraction-free so that you can stay focused on the task at hand and keep your schooling on track.

Keep these tips in mind to keep yourself free from distractions:

Setup a study area

You need an area of your house that is dedicated to school. There should be a desk, lamp, computer, plenty of room to work, and other school must-haves like paper, pens, and pencils. This area should be free from distractions and be a warm, inviting area for you to study. Setting the stage for success is important when virtual learning and having a special area that is just for you and your studies is a great step in the right direction!

Turn notifications off

Since you will be learning virtually, you will be online where there are sure to be tons of distractions. Try turning off your notification settings so that if you receive a notice from one of your social media accounts or a text message, you won’t be alerted and tempted to view it. Keep your study time for your studies. If you were at a traditional school, you wouldn’t be able to check your phone or Facebook in the middle of math class, so use that same mentality when studying at home.

Studies come first

Whether you reach out to a fellow virtual learner to get some help on an assignment or have another friend who gave you a call, make sure to stay on track and keep your studies first. Catching up with friends will have to wait until you have done your work for the day. Same goes for talking to a fellow student. You may find that your conversation wanders to things that don’t have to do with school but try to re-route the conversation and bring it back to school. Get through your work for the day then pick up where you left off.

Be successful with a schedule

As a virtual learner, the day is yours. You do not have to be to school by the time the first bell rings at 7:00am. There are no bells. You set your schedule. For this reason, it’s important to make sure you are responsible and carve some time into each day for your studies and coursework. Make a schedule and stick to it. View the time you scheduled for school just as important as any other thing you have going on because it is! Setting aside time for school every day helps you stay on course and not fall behind.

We are so happy we were able to share these wonderful little tidbits to help keep you on track and on the path to success. We can’t wait to see all of the great things you accomplish during your time at My Virtual Academy! Should you have any questions or are ready to complete your enrollment, give us a call at 800-297-2119. Our friendly staff is standing by and ready to help!